Tradie Quotes

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We expect tradespeople to give us value for money, we trust them in our homes to work, not inspect our underwear.

Footage shows a cleaner take the families bath towel from the rack, wipe the shower, then the toilet, including the underside of the seat, then polishing the sink with it.

Over the years we've caught scamming tradies all around the nation.

Then there’s concreters and landscapers who turn your yard into a disaster zone to rip off appliance repairers.

And these scams, the substandard work and regular overcharging are all about to get worse. A severe shortage of skilled labour is looming so a higher demand for traders. We already spend around $50 billion a year on home building work, repairs and maintenance. Expect these costs to skyrocket and watch the rogues crawl out of the woodwork.

New Zealand's TV3 Target program caught home painters having a party instead of a smoko break. It was marijuana they were sharing on a customer’s door step.

The top complaints about trades are home building work, pools and spas, plumbing, electrical work and renovations. “People expect to pay for products but they want to pay a fair price.” Virginia Judge, NSW Minister for Fair Trading says women and the elderly are top targets for unscrupulous merchants.

Our quotes for erecting a wooden fence on a deck proved it. It was estimated to cost around $900. Louise Williams was quoted between $1000 - $1200. But 68 year old Laurentino Belo; $2000 - more than twice what it should cost. “I’m absolutely horrified that people can take advantage of another human being no matter what their age is” says the Minister.

If you are tired of tradies who under quote and don't deliver, Jeremy Levitt has created a website, www.serviceseeking.com.au, to help you choose from a range of quotes, from traders he checks out himself, for the job you submit. “They can see what the hourly rates are, what the total quoted amounts are, what a business is prepared to do for the price, also review a business feedback as well” says Jeremy.

So what should you pay? Jeremy analysed 26,000 quotes for trades. The average hourly rates:

Tradie Quotes continued…

§ Painting ranges between $25-250, average $41
§ Tiling and paving average $43
§ Roofs and gutters average $59
§ Electrical from $30-140, average $65